William Strunk, Jr., was a professor of English at Cornell University in the 1920s who, in his own inimitable way, waged a quiet war against imprecise language. The book is not long; it contains only "eleven rules of usage, eleven principles of composition, a few matters of form, a list of words and expressions commonly misused," and a chapter on style by the editor, E.B. White; but its message is powerful:

"Vigorous writing is concise. A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason a drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts. This requires not that the writer make all his sentences short, or that he avoid all detail and treat his subjects only in outline, but that every word tell."

Although the content of this little volume is excellent, it is the brevity, simplicity and, above all, the style of this book that make it so wonderful. Strunk states his rules of usage not as suggestions but as direct orders: "Do not affect a breezy manner" - "Omit needless words" - "Revise and rewrite." He is not a man of compromise and his attitude toward English usage is very refreshing. Here is a typically delightful paragraph:

"*Flammable*. An oddity, chiefly used in saving lives. The common word meaning 'combustible' is *inflammable*. But some people are thrown off by the *in-* and think *inflammable* means 'not combustible.' For this reason, trucks carrying gasoline or explosives are marked FLAMMABLE. Unless you are operating such a truck and hence are concerned with the safety of children and illiterates, use *inflammable*."

*The Elements of Style* is a rare thing: a grammar book that can be read through, again and again, and which can raise a smile at every turn. ( )

Outstanding advice for writers of every stripe. Read it. Heed it. Ignore it at your peril. ( )

Everyone thinks of this as a book for writers, but today, most of us are. We write to communicate through email, memos & letters. Everyone can benefit by reading this book. It looks quite short & slim, but that is deceiving, like Kern & Ritchie's book on C. They fit a LOT into a small package & it takes practice & referral to get the basics down. ( )

Excellent book for grammar rules, Writing papers. Contents include elementary rules of usage, elementary principles of composition, matters of form, words and expressions commonly misused, an approach to style (with a list of reminders).

This is, in so many ways, a terrible book. But it is so freakishly popular that it cannot be ignored. ( )